By Rafat Nayeem Quadri for TwoCircles.net,
Ahmedabad: Hundreds of activists from across the globe, representatives of NGOs and scores of professionals, artists, common men joined the ‘over guarded’ Gulberg Society at Chamanpura area of Ahemdabad on Monday.
People kept pouring since morning and police took position ‘bandobast’ to witness a small Memorial function that was observed to commemorate the 10th Anniversary of the Gujarat Carnage that took place at Gulberg Society (69 people were brutally killed in the massacre here).
Sufi Sangeet has been organised in the evening while Quran Khwani (recital of Holy Quran) was organized at the mosque situated within the society.
Survivors were seen talking to various media in tears narrating the tragic details of the day ten years back when they somehow were saved but their dear ones were brutally killed.
Elderly survivors including Zakia Jafri who has taken the Gujarat Chief Minister on a legal battle was also present with other family members.
Justice Hosbet Suresh issued a statement to press earlier in the day demanding the justice to be delivered to the victims and their survivors who have suffered and struggled for all ten long years. To a question about Haren Pandya Justice Suresh said they had recorded the statement of Haren Pandya which clearly explains the role of Narendra Modi in the carnage. He said the recording was submitted by the Tribunal to the CJP. However, Teesta Setalvad and others reiterated that SIT did not take the same and is not interested to take down statements of all who want to submit their statements and recordings.
IAMC representative Hyder Khan visits Gulberg Society
Indian American Muslim Council representative Hyder Khan also remained present at Gulberg and paid tributes to the massacred residents of the society. He attended several programmes organized by different NGOs for last couple of days.
Victims seek justice in a dignified manner: Shiv Visvanathan
Shiv Visvanathan of the Social Science Nomad (who has been instrumental in documenting the reports and ‘the Gulberg House Manifesto’ was also seen at the Society. When TCN asked his reactions, he said “the survivors of the Gulberg Society who are the witness are showing more faith in law more than the State. Isn’t it the NEWS? The role of women after the massacre has been exemplary, the Muslim women who would not go out of the house before the tragedy are today creating history. They are full of hope and have total faith in judicial system of their country. They are asking Justice for themselves in a dignified manner and NOT BEGGING”.
“For me nothing is relevant today but the survivors, they should be heard and they should be given justice. To me in India as a civilization Modi is irrelevant” added Shiv, the illustrious and sensitive writer and social scientist who even refused to participate in a debate organized by a Television News channel today, on the same principle.
Teesta Setalvad, the head of Citizens of Peace and Justice, Harsh Mandar, the social activist and writer, Former DGP and an activist R B Sreekumar and many other influential citizens visited the Society and met the survivors and consoled them of their deep wounds even as they vowed to be with them in their fight for justice.
Tanvir and Nishrin, children of late Ehsan Jafri were present remembering their early years that they spent in this very house at Gulberg Society. Tanvir is actively supporting the legal battle that his mother and survivor of the tragedy, Zakia Jafri has been fighting for past ten years. Nishrin has flown from US to be with her mother at this sad moment.
Nishrin sobs while remembering her father Ehsan Jafri
Nishrin, a positive person said “it amazes me that my father who was a reformist a truly educated progressive man with his communist background was so brutally murdered, so also were our neighbours here who never knew what the religious boundaries and politics around it is, they were innocent simple people. But, the planned massacre which took their lives is just an unbelievable reality for me. I have been here for 18 years in this very house where our father used to read, write poetry, teach and explain the good things to all his area mates. We had never ever thought in our lives that we are Muslims and they are Hindus and all such things. In fact our society members always lit lamps on Diwali; we used to have competition and we children used to count which house has more of diyas.”
Nishrin was in tears time and again while remembering her father who she said was such a nice person and was a ‘man with a difference’. When asked whether she should ever like to come here. She replied “why not, this is my house, Gujarat is my maika,’ To a question to whether they would like to forget all this now and move ahead, quickly Nishrin responded that “why do you say that by seeking justice and getting the culprits punished can we not move ahead, in fact this is what is moving ahead in this case”. “By getting justice the ordinary citizen of our country will strengthen his/her belief and faith in the judicial and constitutional rights. This will also set an example that this can’t be tolerated in India and no one how powerful they may be can get away with it” added Nishrin.
Nishrin’s sons Saif and Zubin Hussain used to spend their holidays in the very house of their ‘nana’ which was torched by the attackers on this very day a decade ago. They used to feel so happy to be here, remembered the sobbing Nishrin who used to spend hours with her dad and wanted to follow her dad into politics some day. Still she is not disillusioned but first she wants justice for everyone who died at Gulberg with her father.
Nishrin is an accounts professional working at a printing firm of US where she lives with her husband and children.
(Rafat Nayeem Quadri is the Editor of BILKUL Gujarat’s First English Fortnightly. She can be contacted at: M: 90999 27424 and [email protected])